Книга - The Millionaire’s Pregnant Mistress

The Millionaire's Pregnant Mistress
Michelle Celmer


From the moment Slade Carruthers lays eyes on the beautiful Clea Chardin, he has to have her.But Clea has a reputation, and Slade doesn't share his women. If Clea wants him, she'll come on his terms. Clea isn't a loose woman, as everyone believes, but the label helps to protect herself from heartbreak.Now she's about to meet her match. So begins a jet-set seduction that takes Clea and Slade around the globe and ultimately to bed…












MICHELLE CELMER

The Millionaire’s Pregnant Mistress








Though they aren’t likely to ever read this, I dedicate this book to my dogs Spunky, Rocko and Combat, and my cats PeeWee and Bubba. They love me unconditionally, keep me company when I’m lonely and always make me smile.


Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Coming Next Month




One


In her twenty-four years, Tess McDonald had made her share of bad judgment calls, but this one topped them all. All of her life she’d been determined not to turn out like her mother, but here she was, making the same stupid mistakes. Maybe it was destiny.

Or just dumb luck.

She stared up at the sprawling structure of marble and granite. Dark and foreboding under overcast, gloomy skies, it loomed before her like a castle out of a modern-day fairy tale. An enchanted castle where nothing was as it seemed and monsters lay in wait, ready to devour unsuspecting maidens. And what fairy tale would be complete without an embittered, cagey prince? A loner afflicted by some disfiguring curse, set free only by love in its purest form.

But Tess had abandoned the mystical for the practical a long time ago. Fairy tales weren’t real. There were no princes—cursed or otherwise—no enchanted castles and the only monster she knew was still living with her mother back in Utah.

She climbed the wide marble steps to the front door, and lifted a reluctant hand—come on Tess, just do it—and forced herself to press the bell. The hollow ring penetrated the massive, intricately carved double doors, kicking her heart into a frantic beat. Seconds ticked by as she waited for someone to answer. Seconds that felt like hours. When she’d almost convinced herself no one was home, the door opened.

She’d expected a maid or a butler, one in full uniform of course—possibly looking like Lurch from the Addams Family. Instead it was Ben, looking much like he had when they’d met.

Mysteriously and intriguingly dark.

His raven hair lay at his collar in silky waves and heavy lidded bedroom eyes in the darkest, richest shade of brown, studied her. Everything about him reeked of prestige and wealth, from the expensive looking black cashmere sweater and custom tailored slacks, to the tantalizing scent of his cologne.

She felt the same shiver of excitement as she had when she’d caught him staring at her from across the bar that night. Their eyes had met, and the heat penetrating in the dark, bottomless depths made her heart go berserk with anticipation.

The way it was now.

He hadn’t said a word. He’d just held out his hand in silent invitation and she’d taken it. He’d led her to the dance floor and when he pulled her into his arms, pressed her to the lean length of his body, she melted against him. Then he’d dipped his head and brushed his lips over hers.

Now, there were kisses, and there were kisses.

Kissing Ben had felt like two pieces of a puzzle locking together in a perfect fit. Her knees had gone weak, and the room had spun around her like a carousel. She knew in that instant that she would sleep with him. It wasn’t even a conscious decision. It was just something she had to do. An opportunity she would regret for the rest of her life if she let it pass.

She also knew that he was just interested in one night. The, I’m-not-looking-for-a-relationship line he fed her between kisses in the elevator on the way up to his room had been a big tip-off. She’d never expected to see him again.

Considering the look on his face now, neither had he.

She knew she should say something, but she couldn’t seem to make her mouth work. All she could do was stare, wondering if he knew who she was. If he remembered her. If he was wondering how she’d managed to track him down. She’d never been one to read the tabloids and she didn’t have cable television so it had been weeks later that she’d learned from the girls at work who he really was.

What he’d been hiding.

He wedged his shoulder in the doorjamb and folded his arms over his chest, looking her up and down, those dark eyes putting a chink in the man-resistant armor she wore these days.

“And here I thought you’d been abducted by aliens,” he finally said, in that velvety dark-chocolate voice.

Okay, so he did remember her.

He wasn’t really going to pretend she’d wronged him somehow, was he? To stay the night in his room would have only been delaying the inevitable. The morning brush-off. The gee-it-was-nice, have-a-good-life speech men like him were notorious for.

At the time, she didn’t think her heart could take that, because she had fallen stupidly and completely in love with Ben that night.

“You weren’t looking for a relationship,” she reminded him.

His eyes narrowed. The same bottomless pools she’d found so entrancing that night. How could she have known what he’d really been hiding behind that dark exterior?

The smoldering look in his eyes burned hotter. “I’m still not looking for a relationship.”

“I just came to talk. Can I come inside?”

Though he looked hesitant, he held the door open wider and stepped back, all but disappearing into the dark interior.

The rubber soles of her work shoes squeaked on the marble floor as she stepped inside the cavernous foyer, and hazy darkness swallowed her like a hungry beast. As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, oddly shaped, ominous shadows crept soundlessly around her like restless spirits.

You don’t believe in spooks, she reminded herself.

The door closed behind her with a thud that bounced off the walls and echoed up the cathedral ceiling. Ben simply stood there, towering over her, arms folded over his chest, biceps straining against the sleeves of his shirt, his face hidden in shadow. His intimidating size, ropes of lean, corded muscle, were part of what had intrigued her that night, what had drawn her to him. As if she hadn’t learned her lesson so many times before. Dark angsty men were nothing but trouble.

But, boy they could be fun for a night or two.

He may have been dark and reserved in the bar, but under the covers she’d never had a more attentive, exciting or imaginative lover. It was all coming back now. How alive and beautiful he’d made her feel.

And why she’d run like hell in the middle of the night.

What he didn’t know is that he’d given her a gift. The piece of her that had always been missing, even if she hadn’t realized it. For the first time in her life she had a purpose. She wasn’t alone. And for that she owed him everything.

That included an explanation.

True, the timing couldn’t have been worse, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t happy. And scared of course. This would change everything.

She’d considered not telling him. Odds are he never would have found out. They didn’t exactly run in the same social circles. In fact, she had worked so many hours since moving here, she wasn’t even part of a social circle. And after everything he’d been through in the past year, well, he probably would have been better off left in the dark.

And considering the lack of light in here, that was exactly where he preferred to be.

She thought she could handle the burden alone, but as hard as she’d tried, her best efforts just weren’t cutting it anymore. She needed his help. And since there was no easy way to say it, to soften the blow, she decided it was best to just get it out.

She took a deep breath and held her chin high. “I just thought you should know that I’m pregnant and you’re the father.”



Her words hit Ben like a sucker punch.

For months now he’d considered going back to the resort bar in the hopes that she would be there. That they could reconnect. Something inside him had changed that night with her. He’d begun living again.

But this he’d never expected.

She may have acted as if she hadn’t known who he was that night in the resort, but clearly he’d been set up.

How could he have been so stupid?

He knew exactly how, and why now, months later, he still felt that tug of longing when she stood in his foyer. She’d been the first woman he’d connected with since the crash. The only one who had been able to make him forget the pain.

He used to believe that his heart had died along with his wife and unborn son, but something had clicked between himself and Tess that night.

Maybe it was because she was so different from Jeanette. Slim and angular and schoolgirl pretty to his wife’s lush figure and exotic beauty. She’d looked so petite and nymphlike. Sweet and innocent.

What a joke.

He never should have left the house that night, but the idea of spending the holidays in solitude had forced him out of his self-imposed isolation. He should have known what was up when he woke the next morning alone. Yes, it was true he told her he wasn’t looking for a relationship, but he hadn’t asked her to leave, either. He thought there had been a connection.

Apparently, he’d thought wrong.

He wondered how many other men she’d picked up in that bar. How many she’d used. And why she’d picked him to seal the deal. Because he was vulnerable? Or was it his bank balance?

And to think that he’d been this close to falling in love with her.

“You neglected to mention that you worked at the resort,” he said. She hadn’t told him much of anything about herself. Not that he’d asked. He hadn’t been looking for conversation, just a sweet, warm body to lose himself in. Kind of like a Christmas present to himself. By the time he realized he wanted more, she’d already disappeared.

She lifted her chin and looked him in the eye. “We didn’t spend a whole lot of time getting to know each other.”

“Actually, I thought we got to know each other rather…intimately.”

Tess bit her lip and her cheeks flushed bright pink. It would have been charming if he believed it were anything but an act.

“Maybe you don’t remember, but we used protection,” he said, sure that she would come up with some creative excuse why the condom had failed. All three of them, or had it been four?

She didn’t. “Believe me, I was just as surprised as you are. I didn’t plan this, either.”

“Let’s say it is mine. What do you want from me?” Like he didn’t already know. She probably had a long list of demands. Would she expect him to marry her? Did she think they would settle down together and play house? Or maybe she was looking for a break into acting.

She wouldn’t be the first who’d tried to use him for his connections.

She lowered her eyes to the floor, looking genuinely humbled. Give the girl an Oscar, she was one hell of an actress. “I need your help. I thought I could do this alone, but with the doctor bills and all the things I need for the baby…”

Just as he suspected.

“I want a paternity test,” he told her. “Before I give you a penny, I need to know if this really is my baby.”

Tess nodded, thankful he wasn’t going to make her beg. Her mother had struggled for years to make Tess’s wealthy father own up to his responsibility and pay child support. Tess had been sure Ben would fight her tooth and nail.

“I figured you would. I’ve already talked to my doctor about it. She said they can do the test next week, when I go in for my ultrasound.”

“Fine. I’ll contact my attorney.”

“If you want, you could come with me,” she said, figuring it was the least she could do. It was his baby as much as hers. Maybe they could reach some sort of accord, find some middle ground and maybe even learn not to resent each other.

Maybe they could even be friends.

“Come where?” he asked.

“To the appointment. To see the baby.”

Something dark and unsettling flashed across his face. He closed in on her, his eyes sparking with anger. “Let’s get something straight. If this is really my child, I’ll see that it’s taken care of, but I can’t be a part of its life.”

She took a step back and bumped into the door. He moved forward, boxing her in. If he was trying to intimidate her, it was working.

And he knew it.

“Why so nervous?” he said, easing even nearer, bracing his hands on either side of her head. Black hair framed his face, settling it deeper into the shadows, but she could still see his eyes—dark and penetrating pinned on her face. And so cold it made her shiver. “You didn’t mind being this close that night in my room. In fact, I was under the impression you rather enjoyed it.”

She glared up at him, refusing to be the one who backed down. She’d almost forgotten how beautiful he was. Beautiful in a completely masculine, testosterone driven way of course. But that was to be expected being the product of two gorgeous Academy Award winning actors.

He smelled good, too. The scent of his cologne and sheer male heat swirled through the narrow space between them. He smelled expensive and refined and…

My God, was she actually getting turned on by this he-man macho crap? It had to be the pregnancy hormones making her feel so loopy.

After that night with Ben she had forever sworn off men like him. They were nothing but trouble. If she ever did date again—and that was a big if—she was going to find herself a quiet, average, boring guy. She’d take safe and unexciting over sizzling and sexy any day.

She poked the solid mass of his chest with her index finger, feeling his body-heat soak through the silky softness of his sweater, enjoying the look of surprise on his face.

“You must think pretty highly of yourself if you believe I would want a relationship with you. Just like you, I went up to your room expecting one night. Go ahead and pin the blame on me if it eases your guilty conscience, but this is as much your fault as it is mine. I wasn’t in that room alone. If I recall correctly, you rather enjoyed it, too. And need I remind you that you were the one with the condoms? How do I know you didn’t do this on purpose? Maybe you get some sort of depraved thrill knocking up unsuspecting women. For all I know, you have illegitimate children all over the place.”

His expression shifted and he looked almost…wounded.

Was it possible she’d hurt his feelings? That he actually had feelings?

Ben dropped his hands from beside her head and backed away, his face somber. He looked so…sad. The brief charge of satisfaction hissed away like a deflating balloon.

“May as well take off your jacket and get comfortable,” he said. “We have a lot to discuss.”



Ben sat at his desk and ripped open the envelope his lawyer had messaged over. With a heavy heart, he read the results of the paternity test she’d taken last week. The wounds that had begun to heal in the year since his son’s death ripped open and grief twisted his insides.

Tess had been telling the truth. The baby was his.

If he had been able to talk Jeanette out of taking the trip to Tahoe while he wrapped up postproduction on his last film, she and his son would be alive. Even the doctor had said it was late in her pregnancy to be flying. Ben should have insisted, but when Jeanette wanted something she usually got it.

He would never forgive himself for letting them down, and he wouldn’t let it happen again. This baby was his, whether he wanted it or not. He would see that it was taken care of and raised properly.

In his son’s honor, he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to this child.

“I take it the news wasn’t what you’d hoped.”

He looked up to find Mildred Smith, his housekeeper, watching him from the doorway. Any other of his employees would have been fired for insinuating themselves into his business, but Mrs. Smith had been with his family since before Ben was born. It had only been natural to hire her when his parents moved permanently to Europe three years ago. She’d been with him those horrible months after the crash and had nursed him through the worst of it. She was more like family than hired help. More of a mother to him than his own mother had ever been.

“It’s mine,” he told her.

“What do you plan to do now?” she asked.

The only thing he could do. “I’m going to make sure she and the baby are safe. I’ll bring her here to live with us until it’s born.”

“You know nothing about this girl.” Her tone was stern, bordering on cold, but that was just her way. He knew she cared deeply for him. The past year hadn’t been easy for her, either. Though Mrs. Smith had never cared for Ben’s wife, the loss had hit her hard.

“I don’t know her, which is exactly the reason I need to keep her close. That’s my child she’s carrying.”

The one thing he didn’t get, that didn’t make sense about this whole situation, was why she’d waited so long to tell him. According to her due date, she had to be close to sixteen weeks pregnant. Meaning she’d known she was pregnant for at least a couple of months already.

He was sure she had her reasons.

He found the number Tess had jotted down on a slip of paper. It had been sitting there on his desk, taunting him for days. He hadn’t yet written it in his book, on the slim hope it was all a mistake. Since her visit last week, all communication had been through his attorney. Now it was time to make his position clear. Face-to-face.

“Suppose she doesn’t want to live here?” Mrs. Smith asked. “What then?”

He gave her a look, one that said he didn’t anticipate that being an issue. “You think a girl like that, with a menial job at the resort and next to nothing to her name, would pass up the opportunity to live in luxury? I know her kind. She’ll take whatever I have to offer.”




Two


“Absolutely not! There is no way I’m moving in with you.” All that Hollywood fame must have gone to Ben’s head if he thought he could boss her around. He hadn’t even asked. Instead he’d issued an order.

He sat casually behind his enormous desk like a king on his throne addressing his royal subjects. The only thing missing was a scepter and crown.

And tights—which she had to admit would be well worth seeing.

Instead he wore black again. Black shirt, black slacks. Did he own a single article of clothing in color?

Tess turned to see if the stern woman who had let her in was still standing in the doorway listening.

Thankfully she wasn’t.

Ben, Tess could handle. At least, she was going to give it a valiant effort. His housekeeper on the other hand—Lurch’s twin sister—gave her a serious case of the creeps.

“I have an apartment,” she said. “I don’t need or want to live here.”

“I didn’t need or want a child, yet one is being forced on me.”

“I did not make this baby all by myself,” she reminded him. “Besides, what has that got to do with where I live?”

“You live in a disreputable part of town. It’s not safe.”

“I do the best I can.” Not everyone was born with a silver spoon in their mouth—or in his case, an entire service for twelve. She was quite sure he had no concept of what it was like to struggle, to live on canned spaghetti and Wonder Bread until the next payday.

“If geography is such a problem for you, we can compromise. If you help me out financially, I can get a place in a part of town you deem as safe. Then we’ll both be happy.”

“Not acceptable. I need you here.”

“As I said, I don’t want to live here.”

“Shall I send someone over to help you pack?” he asked, as if she hadn’t just emphatically stated that she would not be moving.

She normally had interminable patience, but this guy was pushing all her buttons. “Are you hearing impaired? I said that I’m not moving into your house. That’s final.”

He went on as though she hadn’t spoken. “I also think it would be best if you quit your job. As a maid, you probably work with harmful cleaning solvents, and heavy lifting must be involved. It could be damaging for the baby.”

Whoa. Someone had serious control issues. Did he really think she would allow herself to become totally dependent on him? She’d been on her own since she was sixteen. She knew how to take care of herself, and she would take care of her baby. She just needed a little help—emphasis on little. A couple hundred bucks a month to help cover her extra expenses.

She glanced at the crystal tumbler filled with some sort of amber colored alcohol sitting on his desk. Warning bells clanged like crazy through her brain. She’d heard rumors from the other employees at the resort that he’d become a reclusive alcoholic since he’d lost his wife. The reclusive part she believed, the alcoholic part she’d only hoped wasn’t true. Looks like she might have been wrong.

Not that everyone who drank was an alcoholic, but she wasn’t taking any chances.

“I’m not quitting my job. I’ll give you weekly updates on my condition if it will make you feel better, but that’s it.”

“That reminds me,” he said. “I’ve picked an obstetrician I’d like you to see. He’s the best in the area.”

And it just kept getting weirder. Now he wanted to pick her doctor? Next he would be telling her how to dress, and what to eat.

“I already have a doctor I’m comfortable with that takes my insurance,” she told him.

“Expense isn’t an issue.”

“It is for me, since I’m the one paying for it.”

He folded his arms across his chest and leaned back in his chair. His face was partially hidden in shadow, but if she could see it, she was sure he would look annoyed.

It was so darned dark in here.

“What are you, a vampire? Could we maybe open some drapes? Turn on a light or two?”

He unfolded his arms, leaned forward and switched on the desk lamp. Yep, he looked annoyed all right.

“You mean to make this as difficult as possible, don’t you?” he asked.

Was he kidding? “I’m being difficult? You’re not the one whose life is going to drastically change. You don’t have to suffer the morning sickness and the weight gain and the stretch marks. And let’s not forget hemorrhoids and heartburn and hours of hard labor. The day you can do all that for me, I’ll let you start calling the shots. Until then, this is my body and my baby and I will go to whichever doctor I choose, and live wherever the heck I want. Is that clear?”

“If you don’t cooperate I could fight you for custody. I have unlimited financial resources.”

She knew he was desperate when he started tossing around legal threats.

“I’ve done my homework. I’ve got the numbers of half a dozen high profile bleeding heart attorneys who would just love to handle a case like mine pro bono.”

She could swear she saw a hint of amusement in his eyes. “Would you really want to put yourself through that? Agree to my terms and I’ll grant you full custody and adequate financial assistance to have you living in luxury for the rest of your life.”

She took a deep, calming breath. “Apparently you’re not hearing what I’m saying. I don’t want to live in luxury. I want a little help. Got it?”

He stared up at her, a vague smile curling his lips.

She propped her hands on her hips and glared at him. “I fail to see what it is about this situation you find amusing.”

He leaned back in his chair, gazing up at her. “I was just thinking about that night in the resort.”

Oh great, now did he think sex would be a part of the deal? “What about it?”

“I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

Now he liked her? That didn’t make any sense.

“You are the most stubborn, self-centered, confusing person I have ever met,” she said, and his grin widened. She never imagined a man so dark and sexy could look so…cute.

Cute? What was she thinking? He wasn’t cute. He was a big pain in the neck.

She flung her hands up. “Fine, don’t help me. Because frankly, it isn’t worth the trouble. The baby and I will manage without you.”

She turned to leave and was halfway to the door when she heard him call, “Tess, wait.”

No way. She was through arguing about this. She and the baby would make it without him. She wasn’t sure how, but she would manage.

She made it to the door and had her hand on the knob when she heard him say, “Please, stay.”

She reluctantly turned back to him.

“I know there has to be a way we can make this work.”

“Unless you’re willing to compromise, I don’t see how.”

“I am.” He gestured to the chair across from his desk. “Please, sit.”

Because he said please, she crossed the room and took a seat.

“Tell me what works for you, then we’ll figure something out.”

“You’re serious?”

“Absolutely.”

“First I have to ask, why the change of heart? Why are you willing to compromise now, when fifteen minutes ago you were being an ogre?”

He wasn’t insulted by the observation, in fact, he smiled. “Fifteen minutes ago I thought I knew who you were.”

“And now?”

“Now I realize I was wrong.”



Tess prayed silently the way she did every morning as her old junker chugged its way up the mountain to the staff parking lot behind the resort. It had stalled twice on the way here. Once she’d flooded the engine and had to wait several minutes, holding up traffic, before it would turn over again.

Her carburetor was terminally ill, but it would be at least three or four months before she had the money saved to replace it. And that was if she did the work herself—which she was pretty sure she could manage given the time to figure it out. She’d blown her entire savings plus a week’s groceries on a gas pump last month. The co-pay for her monthly doctor visits and prenatal vitamins was eating up the rest of her extra cash.

The downside to residing in a resort town was the astronomical cost of living. If she skipped grocery shopping again on Sunday, that would shave a week off her expenses, but the doctor had already expressed concern that she wasn’t gaining enough weight, and a healthy diet was critical for a healthy pregnancy.

She’d spent the last few days thinking about Ben’s offer. As far as she could tell, when she’d threatened to leave, he finally realized she was telling the truth. That the pregnancy was an accident and she wasn’t after his money. Though for the life of her, she still didn’t understand why it was so important that he have her living in his house. But when she stopped to think about it, there was no reason why she absolutely shouldn’t live there. She would have her own suite and could come and go as she pleased.

Everything he’d had to offer sounded pretty good, except for one thing. Despite every other concession he’d made, he still insisted she quit her job.

Tess couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t had some sort of job. Babysitting, delivering papers, stocking shelves at the party store—anything to earn a little extra spending cash. And later, hard work had been a way out of the hellhole that was her stepdad’s house.

If she quit working now, what would she do for money? She already felt uncomfortable taking things from Ben. But to be totally dependent on him?

Frankly, she was scared. What if she gave up her job, then found out he was some kind of creep or weirdo? She’d be stuck, because she seriously doubted anyone would be jumping at the chance to hire a pregnant woman.

She’d told him to give her a few days to think about it, but she still wasn’t sure what to do.

She pulled her car into a spot at the back of the employee lot, glanced at her watch, and cursed under her breath. She was ten minutes late.

Hopping from the car, she bolted for the back entrance. Olivia Montgomery, the owner of the resort, ruled like a foreign dictator, expecting one hundred and ten percent from her employees. Tardiness was not acceptable. And because of her temperamental carburetor, this was Tess’s third time in two weeks.

Tess shoved her way through the door and headed to the employee locker room behind the kitchen. As she turned the corner, her heart sank when she saw the morning shift manager standing next to her locker waiting for her.

“I’m sorry I’m late,” she said. “Car trouble.”

His sour expression was tarter than usual. She was convinced the guy sucked lemons for breakfast. “Mrs. Montgomery would like a word with you.”

Oh, swell. Getting chewed out by her boss was not her favorite way to start the day.

She shoved her jacket and purse into her locker and headed for Mrs. Montgomery’s office, where the secretary greeted her with a sympathetic smile. “Go on in, she’s waiting for you.”

Tess opened the door and stepped inside the lush office. Her boss was on the phone, but gestured to the chair across from her desk, her expression unreadable.

She spoke for several minutes, then said goodbye to the person on the line, hung up the phone and turned to Tess.

Tess had learned that the best thing to do in a situation like this was to shelve her pride and take responsibility for her actions. “I’m very sorry for being late. I know it’s unacceptable. I swear it won’t happen again.”

Her boss very calmly folded her hands atop her desk. “This is the third time in two weeks, Tess.”

“I know, and I’m sorry.”

“Well then, you can make it up by working a few extra shifts this week,” she said in that condescending, I’m God and you’re a peon tone. “We have several people out with the flu.”

Tess was already working over fifty hours a week. She’d been suffering a chronic backache and swollen knees from being on her feet too long, and her bad ankle had been stiff and sore. It also seemed that no matter how many hours she slept, she woke feeling exhausted. But she knew that if she didn’t work the extra hours Mrs. Montgomery would find a reason to fire her. She knew Tess was pregnant, and that in several months she would be eligible for paid maternity leave.

She’d been looking for a reason to let Tess go.

And because of that, Tess had been working her tail off at a job that she quite frankly despised, for far less money than she deserved. Didn’t she deserve a break? Hadn’t she earned it?

She thought about Ben’s enormous house and what it would be like to live there. What it would be like to not have to get up at 5 a.m. and drag herself to work. To stay up late watching movies and eating popcorn. To sleep until noon. How it would feel to relax and enjoy her pregnancy.

So maybe she wouldn’t have a lot of extra spending money. So what? She was used to getting by on a tight budget.

But if she did this, that would be it, she would be stuck with Ben for five long months. Although, if she had to be stuck with someone, she could have done a lot worse.

“Well?” Mrs. Montgomery said tightly, expecting an answer.

“No,” Tess said. “I’m afraid I can’t do that.”

Her boss’s eyes narrowed. “I’m afraid you don’t have a choice.”

That wasn’t true. For the first time in her life, Tess actually did have a choice.

What it all came down to was, what was best for her child? She grew up with nothing. Ben had everything. She wanted something in between for her baby.

If she accepted Ben’s offer, the baby would never want for life’s basic necessities, never feel threatened or abused. Her child would go to good schools and get a college education, would have all the opportunities she never had.

Ben could give them that, if she just had a little faith.

She still wasn’t one hundred percent sure she could trust him, but she was so sick of feeling achy and tired and overworked. Maybe it was time she took a chance on him, the way he’d taken a chance on her.

She flashed her boss a smile, feeling that, for the first time in months, maybe she was doing the right thing. “I do have a choice, Mrs. Montgomery. And I choose to quit.”




Three


“Benjamin, I’m sorry to interrupt, but there’s someone here to see you.”

Ben looked up from the computer screen to find Mrs. Smith standing in his office doorway. She opened the door wider and behind her stood Tess.

Her cheeks were pink from the cold and her eyes bright. She was dressed in a denim skirt and a fuzzy olive sweater that was just tight enough to reveal her stomach was no longer flat. She looked good. In spite of himself, he smiled.

He couldn’t deny he was happy to see her. For reasons he probably shouldn’t be.

He rose from his seat. “You’re back.”

She nodded and flashed him a tentative smile. “I’m back.”

Mrs. Smith shot Ben a stern look. One that said she wasn’t crazy about this arrangement—which she’d made clear on more than one occasion in the past few days—and she still thought he was making a mistake. Then she stepped out and shut the door behind her.

“I take it you’ve made a decision?”

“I have,” she said. “I quit my job this morning. My bags are packed and I’m here to stay.”

The news was an enormous weight off his mind. Things were now under control. She and the baby were finally safe.

“I should probably warn you that my car committed suicide about a hundred feet down the driveway.”

“My condolences.”

She shrugged. “The carburetor was terminally ill. I don’t suppose you could spring for a new one. I’ll reimburse you.”

“I’ll take care of it.”

He might have worried it was just another scam, but he’d learned an awful lot about Tess these past few days. Since one could never be too careful in a situation like this, he’d hired a private detective to check her out. He’d found nothing in her past to indicate foul play. She had no criminal record, no past deviant or questionable activity. Nothing to suggest she might be conning him. Tess was exactly who she appeared to be. A hardworking woman just doing her best to get by. She had never wanted more from him than a little financial help.

With that knowledge, something deep in his soul felt oddly settled.

Not that he expected this to be easy. Making love with Tess had made him feel alive for the first time in months—had given him hope that he had a chance for happiness again. But even if he’d asked her to stay that night, if he’d let himself fall for her, a child would have never been part of the deal. Seeing Tess’s growing belly would be a constant reminder of everything he’d lost.

He’d loved Jeanette, but she was gone. He’d accepted that. It was losing his son that still stung like a fresh wound. A slash through his heart that would never stop bleeding.

In some ways he felt ready to move on, in others he was still trapped in the past.

“So,” Tess asked, dropping into the chair across from his desk, “how exactly is this going to work?”

“It will be exactly as we discussed the other day. You’ll stay here with me until it’s born. Afterward I’ll set you and the baby up in a condo with a generous trust.”

She gazed intently at him, as if she were trying to see into his head, to be sure what he said was true.

The color of her sweater seemed to draw out the yellow in her irises. He remembered thinking that night in the bar how unusual they were. How bright and full of curiosity, and maybe a little sad.

He’d watched her for a while before approaching her, fascinated by her petite, striking features. By her warm, genuine smile as she chatted with the bartender. And when she looked his way, and their eyes met and locked, there had been enough sparks to melt the snow on the entire mountain. It hit him with such force that it had nearly knocked him out of his chair.

Even now there was something about the woman that messed with his head.

“Sounds almost too good to be true,” she said.

“Meaning…?”

“Look, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but…”

“But you don’t trust me,” he said, and she gave him a sheepish shrug. “I’m not offended. Put in your position, I wouldn’t trust me, either.”

“Honestly, you seem like an okay guy. A little overbearing maybe…It’s just that I’m giving up an awful lot here. I’m watching my back, you know? I don’t really know anything about you.”

He understood completely. He would never enter into a business agreement on a handshake deal. “I’ve already spoken to my attorney about drawing up a contract.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “And I’m supposed to trust this attorney?”

“You’re free to have the attorney of your choice look over the documents before you sign anything—at my expense of course.”

“I guess that sounds fair.”

“I should warn you that my lawyer has insisted on a confidentiality clause.”

“Confidentiality? Who am I going to tell?”

“This is as much for yours and the baby’s protection as mine. It was abhorrent the way the media exploited my wife’s death. For months after, they made my life a living hell. There was an unauthorized biography written about her life and a made-for-television movie. Neither was what you could consider flattering, or had barely an ounce of truth. Trust me when I say that you don’t ever want to know what that’s like.”

“When I found out from the girls at work who you were, I went to the library and did a little research.”

“What kind of research?”

“Old newspaper articles and magazines, Internet stuff.”

He wanted to feel indignant, but really he had done the same thing. “And what did you find?”

“There was a lot. So I get why you’re worried.”

“Things have finally died down. I don’t want to stir the pot. The fewer people who know about this the better.”

“I understand. I don’t want that, either.”

He didn’t want to alarm her, but it was only fair that he caution her about what she might be getting herself into. “I’m not suggesting you should break all ties and avoid your friends—”

“I don’t have any friends.” She smiled and added. “I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. Like, oh poor me I have no friends. It’s just that I haven’t lived here long and I work so many hours I never really found the time to make too many friends. Not close ones, anyway.”

And now he was basically telling her not to make friends at all.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “I’ll be careful.”

“Then I guess that just about covers it,” he said.

“Um, actually, there are a couple more things.”

“Okay.”

“I’m not sure how to say this, so I’m just going to say it. I won’t live with an alcoholic. You have to stop drinking.”

Her words took him aback. What had given her the impression he had a problem with alcohol? Because he had an occasional drink? Who didn’t? Or had she read about him in the tabloids? Removing himself from the public eye, hiding away, had only served to fuel the media’s interest. God only knows what rumors they had been spreading lately. He’d stopped paying attention a long time ago.

He opened his mouth to deny the accusation, then realized that was exactly what an alcoholic would do. Damned if he did, damned if he didn’t.

Instead he asked, “If I refuse?”

“The deal is off.”

Seeing as how he wasn’t an alcoholic, it was a small sacrifice to make.

“I’ll quit drinking,” he told her.

She gave him a wary look, her pixie features sharpening with suspicion. “You’ll quit drinking. Just like that?”

“Just like that.” He walked over to the minibar, picked up the decanter of scotch he kept there and poured its contents into the sink. He enjoyed an occasional drink, but it wasn’t something he couldn’t live without.

She narrowed her eyes, as though she wasn’t sure she could trust him. “You’ll put it in the contract?”

“Done. Anything else?”

“After the baby is born, I’d like you to loan me the money to go back to school. I got my GED last year and I really want to go to college.”

“I’ll set up a trust that will ensure you’ll never have to work another day in your life.”

“Sitting around eating bonbons and getting facials may appeal to the women in your inner circle, but I want to do something with my life. I want to be able to look back and feel that I’ve accomplished something.”

“I have nothing against working mothers. But I do believe a child should be raised by its parents, not a nanny or a babysitter.”

Tess wondered if his movie star wife had been planning to give up her career once their child had been born.

Somehow she doubted it.

If Ben wanted to take care of his child financially, that was one thing. She was more than capable of taking care of herself.

“If it makes you feel any better,” she said, “I agree completely with your values. I wouldn’t even consider going back to work until the baby is in school. So it might take time for me to pay you back.”

“I don’t want you to pay me back.”

“But I will anyway.”

He looked as though he might argue, then gave his head a shake, like he realized it was probably useless. “Is there anything else?”

“The other day you said I could keep my doctor.”

“If that’s what you want.”

“Good. Then, I guess that covers it.”

One of those cute smiles curled his mouth and like a silly school girl she felt her knees go weak. The man was too good looking for his own good. He was wearing black again, as he had every single time she’d seen him—a good indication that he really didn’t own anything that wasn’t black. Maybe it was his trademark. She wondered if he wore black boxers, too. Or maybe bikinis.

Whatever his underwear preference, it was clear she’d made him happy, and for some reason that made her feel really good. The man had been through an awful lot. She’d tried to convince herself he was just some guy who happened to be the father of her baby. But when they were near each other she felt so…aware of him. Connected in a way that she didn’t think had anything to do with the child she was carrying.

Even worse, she was pretty sure he felt it, too.

“I’ll call my attorney and have him draw up the papers. Mrs. Smith will see you to your suite.”

“Before you do, there’s something about this that just doesn’t make sense to me.”

“What’s that?”

“If you don’t want the baby, why are you doing this?”

He was quiet for a moment and when he looked at her, his eyes were so sad. “I take responsibility for my actions.”

She shook her head. “I don’t think that’s it. If you didn’t care about this baby, it would have been a hell of a lot easier to pay me off and send me on my way.”

“I never said I didn’t care.”

If he did care, why couldn’t he be a part of the baby’s life?

And just like that, something clicked. Suddenly this whole thing made sense. Why he insisted she stay here. Honestly, she didn’t know why she hadn’t figured it out before.

He blamed himself for his son’s death. By keeping her here, he thought he was keeping her and the baby safe.

“Nothing is going to happen to me or the baby,” she said. “I’m used to taking care of myself.”

He gave her a look so full of pain and anguish she felt it straight through to her heart. “I didn’t protect my son and now he’s gone. That’s one mistake I won’t be making again.”



The malevolent Mrs. Smith led Tess up the wide marble staircase to her room. Tess followed her through the ornately carved double doors—didn’t they have any normal doors in this place—to what would be home for the next five months.

Her first impression was the sheer size of the room, but it mostly just looked dark and depressing. The scent of paint and new carpet lingered underneath the refreshing lilt of potpourri. She looked around for a light switch. “Don’t you people ever turn on lights?”

Casting her a dour look, Mrs. Smith marched across the room and yanked open the heavy drapes shading the windows, flooding the room with warm afternoon sunshine. The transformation of dark to light made Tess gasp.

Decorated in warm beiges and soft greens, the room blossomed around her like a budding spring garden. The overstuffed furniture looked comfortable and inviting. The kind you could sink deeply into, curl up with a good book and lose yourself for an entire afternoon. She kicked off her shoes and dug her toes into carpeting so thick and luxuriant it felt like walking on pillows.

It was fresh and warm and alive. The perfect place to nurture the new life growing inside her.

If she had all the rooms in the world to choose, this would be the one she would pick.

“It’s beautiful,” she said. “And everything looks so new.”

“And let’s try to keep it that way,” Mrs. Smith said in that holier-than-thou tone. “Benjamin asked me to furnish you with whatever you need.”

Orders she would follow, but not happily. But Tess was determined to remain marginally polite. She had the sneaking suspicion she would be running into this woman an awful lot over the next five months. Meaning that if she were so inclined, she could make Tess’s life a living hell. “Thank you.”

“I’ve taken the liberty of removing anything of value.” She flashed Tess that condescending, distasteful look. As if Tess were not a houseguest, but something she’d scraped from the bottom of her shoe. Ben obviously hadn’t instructed her to be nice.

Tess wouldn’t give the old bird the satisfaction of knowing she’d bruised her pride. “Aw darn, my fence will be so disappointed.”

With the ferocity of a mother bear protecting her cubs, she all but growled at Tess, “After all that Benjamin has been through, he doesn’t deserve this. I won’t let you hurt him.”

Tess didn’t point out that it took two to tango, and if Ben didn’t want to be in this situation, maybe he should have become a monk. At the very least he shouldn’t have taken Tess up to his room.

But what good would it do to try to defend herself when she was sure the frigid woman believed Tess had gotten pregnant on purpose? And Tess couldn’t deny her own background. There was no escaping her social status. She’d been the last born in a long line of uneducated blue-collar workers. She hadn’t even gone to college.

At least with her child Tess would be breaking the cycle.

“Dinner is at seven in the dining room,” Mrs. Smith said in that cold, annoyed tone, then she turned and left, shutting the door behind her.

Tess let out a long, tired sigh and looked around, deciding the sooner she got herself settled in, the better. But she didn’t see her bags. Across the room, through a second set of doors—ornate and gaudy of course—Tess found herself in an enormous bedroom. Not surprised that it was dark, she crossed the room and flung open the curtains, letting in a wash of golden sunshine. To her delight, the bedroom had been decorated in the same warm, earthy tones. She opened a set of French doors and stepped out onto the balcony, filling her lungs with fresh air. The view of the gardens below was breathtaking. Spring flowers exploded with color and rolling green grass seemed to stretch for miles. The white tips of the Scott Bar Mountains towered in the distance underneath a clear blue sky.

Wow.

This she could definitely live with.

She stepped back inside and found her bags waiting for her by the king-sized bed. She carried them to the cavernous walk-in closet, set them down then continued on into an enormous bathroom decorated in soft yellows with a Jacuzzi tub big enough for a family of four and an enclosed glass shower stall with two heads.

So this was how the other half lived. It was even more impressive than the presidential suite at the resort.

She rubbed her aching back and gazed longingly at the tub, then at her bags. Unpack first, bath later. But by the time she’d emptied her duffels and hung up all her things, she wanted nothing more than to lie down and rest.

Just a quick nap, she decided, then she would go exploring.

She stripped down to her birthday suit and pulled back the fluffy leaf patterned comforter and slipped beneath the cool, silky-soft vanilla-white sheets. She felt herself sinking as the mattress conformed to her body.

It was like curling up in a bowl of whipped cream. Within minutes she was sound asleep.



Ben pushed aside the drapes covering his office window and stood in a column of bright light, gazing out across acres of pristine rolling green grass and gardens blooming with vibrant shades of deep orange, sunny yellow and royal purple.

Jeanette would have loved this. It was exactly what she had envisioned when they bought this house. If he closed his eyes, he could imagine her out there, playing with their son. He would have been nearly a year old now. Maybe even walking. Saying his first words. In his imagination his little boy always had Ben’s dark hair and his mother’s pale blue eyes and bright smile. He was always happy and laughing.

The door opened and he turned to see Mrs. Smith standing there, saving him from a landslide of painful memories. He let the curtain drop.

“Your guest is all settled in,” she said.

“Thank you.”

“Is there anything else?”

“No, nothing—oh wait, yes there is. I need you to go through the house and get rid of anything alcoholic.”

She frowned. “Whatever for?”

“A condition of her staying here was that I stop drinking. She thinks I’m an alcoholic.”

“And you let her believe—”

“It doesn’t matter what she believes, I want her to feel comfortable here. Just do it please.”

Mrs. Smith didn’t look happy, but she didn’t argue. “I’m going to say, again, that I don’t like this arrangement.”

“I know you don’t.” She hadn’t liked Jeanette, either, but they had learned to coexist. She was so protective of him, the truth was, she would never think anyone was good enough.

“I know you still feel guilty, Ben, but it wasn’t your fault.”

He didn’t have to ask what she meant. She had never said it to his face, but he knew she blamed his wife for his son’s death. She’d always considered Jeanette spoiled and self-centered.

Her career had just been taking off when she found out she was pregnant. She’d been more annoyed than excited at the prospect of becoming a parent, by the physical limitations of her pregnancy. Afraid it would affect her career negatively—God forbid she get a stretch mark or two—she’d even talked briefly about terminating, but thankfully he’d managed to talk her out of it. He had been sure that given time to adjust, she would have enjoyed motherhood. At least, that had been his hope.

In the end, none of it had mattered.

“Have you called your parents?” Mrs. Smith asked.

His parents.

Having to explain this to his family was another problem altogether. They had never been overbearing or judgmental—quite the opposite in fact. He hadn’t seen or heard from either of them since last Thanksgiving. That didn’t mean it wouldn’t be difficult for them to understand. In so many ways, they barely knew him. “Not yet.”

“Don’t you think you should?”

“Why? There’s no point in getting them excited about a grandchild they’re never going to see.”




Four


Ben knocked on the door to Tess’s suite, curious as to why she hadn’t shown up for dinner. Why, in the three and a half hours since she’d arrived, she hadn’t even ventured out of her suite.

No. He wasn’t curious. He was downright worried.

According to Mrs. Smith she’d only had two bags and a couple of small boxes, so it couldn’t have possibly taken her all this time to unpack. What if something was wrong? What if she was sick?

He knocked again, harder this time. “Tess, are you there?”

Knowing he probably shouldn’t, he eased the door open. The sitting room was flooded with pinkish light from the setting sun. He’d always been fond of the color scheme, and Tess staying there seemed oddly appropriate somehow. Much like her, it was refreshing and cheerful and almost whimsical in its simplicity. And homey. That was what being with Tess had felt like.

Like coming home.

He stepped past the doorway and listened for the sound of movement. The suite was dead silent.

“Tess,” he called, expecting an exasperated reply. In fact, if it meant she was all right, he welcomed a little sarcasm, but she didn’t answer.

Fear looped like a noose around his neck, making it difficult to breathe.

What if she’d slipped and fallen?

What if she was hurt?

Without considering the consequences, he charged across the room to the partially open bedroom door and shoved his way through, his heart thumping against his rib cage. More muted sunshine and soft color—but no Tess. He stormed through her closet to the bathroom.

Empty.

Where had she gone? Had she snuck out? Had agreeing to stay here only been some sick joke to humor him?

He returned to the bedroom, teetering on the narrow ledge between anger and panic, when he heard a muffled snore from the vicinity of the bed. Only then did he notice the slight lump resting beneath a mountain of fluffy blankets.

Relief hit him so deep and swift his knees nearly buckled.

He’d been picturing her sprawled on the floor bleeding to death, and in reality she was only taking a nap.

He raked his hair back and shook his head. He had to get a grip, or this was going to be the longest five months of his life. He had to stop expecting the worst. She was safe here. The baby was safe. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to drive her away. She wasn’t his prisoner. She was a guest.

He considered waking her to see if she wanted something to eat, but decided against it. Though he hated the idea of her missing a meal, she obviously needed her sleep just as badly.





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